Internal combustion engine carburetor attachment



June 13, 1961 J. F. SIDENER 2,98

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE CARBURETOR ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 5, 1959 IN VEN TOR. fast/w 1*. 6/00/58.

United States Patent 2,988,341 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE CARBURETOR ATTACHMENT Joseph F. Sidener, 1224 N. Rural St., Indianapolis, Ind. Filed Aug. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 831,756 2 Claims. (Cl. 261-16) This invention relates generally to engine efliciency increasing attachments for the carburetors of internal combustion engines and in particular to an apparatus for recirculating the exhaust gases of an automotive engine through the engine carburetor, the gases having air and water added thereto prior to their introduction into the carburetor.

The present invention is embodied in an apparatus which returns a portion of the hot exhaust gases of an automobile engine to the intake manifold. The passage of the exhaust gases through the apparatus serves to aspirate water vapor and air into the apparatus. The resulting mixture of hot exhaust gases, water vapor and air thereby returned to the engine intake manifold results in a substantial increase in mileage per gallon of fuel consumed and, further, serves to substantially purify the engine exhaust of carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbon gases resulting from incomplete combustion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carburetor attachment for introducing a mixture of hot engine exhaust gases, water vapor and air to the intake manifold of an engine for the purpose of increasing engine efficiency and purifying the engine exhaust gases.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an attachment of the type referred to in which the volume of air and of water vapor aspirated by the passage of the engine exhaust gases through the apparatus is adjustable.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following specification and claims:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detailed, sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the apparatus of the present invention installed on an internal combustion engine.

The apparatus of the present invention is indicated generally at in FIG. 5 and includes a die-cast tube or housing 11 having a mounting flange 12. The flange is secured by suitable bolts (not shown) to an adaptor block 13 which is inserted between a conventional carburetor 14 and an engine intake manifold 16. The adaptor block has a central aperture or throat 17 which communicates with a sidewardly extending passage 18 in the block. The passage 18 registers with the central bore 19 (FIG. 3) through the tube 11. A suitable conduit 19 communicating with the engine exhaust manifold 21 conveys hot engine exhaust gases to the tube 11.

Referring to FIGS. 14, intermediate its ends the tube is provided with a boss 22 which accommodates a fitting 23 carired by the pipe 19. As may best be seen in FIG. 4, the central bore 19 of the housing accommodates a spirally formed member 24 which serves to provide a swirling motion to the gases passing from the tube and into the passage 18 in the adaptor block. In generally underlying relation to the boss 22 the housing is provided with a flange 26 to which is secured by means of screws 27 a cap plate 28 of a water accommodating cup 29. The cup is secured to the plate by a conventional hooked bail 31, the nut 32 permitting removal of the cup from the cap 28 for filling. Extending within the cup to a point Patented June 13, 1961 adjacent its bottom is an open ended tube 33 having a screen filter 34 at its lower end.

As may best be seen in FIG. 3, the upper end of the tube is rigidly attached to the housing 11 and its central bore registers with the passage 36 in the housing. The passage 36 communicates with a transverse passage 37 in the housing, the inner end of the passage 37 communicating with the central bore 19. A valve seat member 38 having a central passage 39 therethrough is disposed within an enlarged threaded portion of the passage 37. The valve seat member 38 cooperates with a conventional adjustable needle valve 41 which is threaded into a closure 42 for the passage 37. It will be understood that gm passing through the central bore 19 serves to aspirate water from the cup 29 and through the tube 33, passage 39 and passage 37. Adjustment of the needle valve member 41 may be utilized to regulate flow of water vapor into the bore 19.

The end of the housing 11 opposite the flange 12 is closed and the upper portion of the housing adjacent this closed end is provided with an aperture 43. Adjacent the aperture 43 the housing is formed to provide an outwardly flared portion 44 which accommodates a conventional filter element shown framentarily at 46 in FIG. 1. Centrally within the flanged portion 44 there is disposed a tapped boss 47 which accommodates the attaching screw for the filtering element 46.

An extending channel-shaped portion 48 of the housing slidably accommodates a closure 49 for the aperture 43. The closure member 49 extends through a slot inthe flanged portion of the housing 44 and is provided with an upwardly extending tab 51 which accommodates an adjusting screw 52. The adjusting screw engages the housing and provides a means for changing the position of member 49 and hence the effective size of the aperture. A plate 53 overlies the closure member 49. A pin 54 extends freely through an elongated slot (not shown) in the closure member 49 and through an aperture in the extending portion 48 of the housing. At its lower end the pin 54 carries a spring retainer upon which bottoms the compression spring 56. The spring 56 thus urges the plate 53 into frictional engagement with the upper face of closure member 49.

In operation, with the housing 11 attached to an adaptor block, as shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the exhaust gases passing through the engine manifold 21 will be delivered to the central bore 19 of the housing. In passing through the housing to the adaptor block passageway 18 these gases will draw water vapor from the water filled cup 29, the rate of withdrawal of the water vapor being determined by the adjustment of the needle valve member 41. In addition, mixing of Water vapor with the exhaust gases, air will also be drawn into the housing through the apertures 43 to be mixed with the exhaust gases and Water vapor combination.

In the arrangement described, it will be noted that for a fixed setting of the needle valve member 41, the amount of water vapor drawn into the housing will depend upon the engine speed. By actual tests, the apparatus of the present invention results in a substantially twenty-five percent improvement in the mileage per gallon of fuel in conventional automobile engines. A further effect of use of the apparatus of the present invention is to substantially purify the exhaust gases issuing from the engine mufiler, removing from them substantially all carbon monoxide and odors. While the removable cup 29 herein described may be sized so as to contain suflicient water for prolonged engine operation, it will be understood that remotely mounted water containers or similar means for refilling the cup 29 may also be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and Within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An attachment for introducing a mixture of engine exhaust gases, Water vapor and air to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine comprising an elongated tube having one closed end and one open end, the open end being adapted to communicate with the engine intake manifold, means for introducing engine exhaust gases into an intermediate portion of said tube for passage through the open end thereof, a transverse passage in the tube wall at said intermediate tube portion, a water containing cup removably attached to said tube adjacent said transverse passage, an aspirating tube extending into said cup and communicating with said transverse passage whereby the passage of exhaust gases through said first mentioned tube aspirates water vapor from said cup into said first mentioned tube, a needle valve for adjustably varying the efiective area of said transverse passage and hence the mate of introduction of water vapor into said exhaust gases, and an adjustable air inlet passage in said first mentioned tube adjacent its closed end, whereby exhaust gases passing through said tube are mixed with air and water vapor and delivered to the engine intake manifold.

2. An attachment for introducing a mixture of engine exhaust gases, Water vapor and air to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine comprising an elongated tube having one closed end and one open end, the open end being adapted to communicate With the engine intake manifold, means for introducing engine exhaust gases into an intermediate portion of said tube for pasage through the open end thereof, a transverse passage in the tube wall at said intermediate tube portion, a water containing element attached to said tube adjacent said transverse passage and communicating therewith, whereby the passage of exhaust gases through said tube aspirates water vapor from said element into said tube, a needle valve for adjustably varying the eifective area of said transverse passage and hence the rate of introduction of water vapor into said exhaust gases, and an adjustable air inlet passage in said first mentioned tube adjacent its closed end, whereby exhaust gases passing through said tube are mixed with air and water vapor and delivered to the engine intake manifold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,626,798 Fay May 3, 1927 1,837,338 Ryker Dec. 22, 1931 2,493,808 Garrigus Ian. 10, 1950 

